


Unexpected Encounters

by The_Janeway_Factor



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-11-08 09:04:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17978381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Janeway_Factor/pseuds/The_Janeway_Factor
Summary: Set in an alternate universe where Voyager is still in the Delta Quadrant and the Borg are just as big of a threat as ever. Janeway has two wars to fight. The one against the Borg and the one inside herself. Set around the Scorpion part 1&2 episodes and so on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first posting to AO3 so i'm still learning how to navigate the posting on here. This story is set in an alternate universe were the borg are only cyberneticaly enhanced instead of fully covered with implants. I do not own anything related to Voyager. I hope you enjoy! Leave kudos and comments if you wish!

_Captains Log Stardate: 50984.3_  
_Since being out in the Delta Quadrant, we have come across many species that we never even knew existed. Some were friendly and some were most certainly not, but in all my years as a Starfleet officer nothing has prepared me for this. A species that acts completely without emotion or feeling. Something as close to pure evil that one can get. They tell you about them in the academy, but to truly understand what the professors are talking about, a real life encounter must occur. I had hoped that we could have gone without an encounter with this species for a while longer but their space is vast. There doesn’t seem to be a way around it either. Now I must find a way to prepare the crew, and show them what we’re up against. The Borg. ___

____

__

“Computer, end log and encrypt Janeway alpha-pi-one-one.” Janeway closed her computer terminal with a heavy sigh.

How was she supposed to find a way to keep her crew safe from the most malicious species in the universe. She was responsible for all of them. She had to keep them alive. That was the burden she took on when she stranded them out here in the Delta Quadrant. Janeway got up and walked over to the replicator. 

“Coffee, black” she said, and a mug with her favorite brew appeared.

Janeway went back over to her desk and sat down with her coffee and continued scanning logs of her colleagues and former Captains from their encounters of the Borg. From what she found, they are a species that uses technology to enhance their senses. Making it easier to kill as many as possible without being detected. They work collectively, in large number, making sure they overwhelm their targets, making sure they have no chance to fight back. They are extremely precise and never fail their missions. Yes, the Borg were considered the perfect assassins. They have acquired extensive knowledge on thousands of species from those they’ve “assimilated”, as they call it, into their collective. They only take the strongest fighters from worlds and make them forget everything they ever knew. By using a special device on their left hands, they inject some kind of technology that completely takes over the body and mind at a microscopic level, so when they finish the assimilation process the victim has no remembrance of the life they once had. 

As Janeway kept scrolling she noticed that the only large quantity of data on the Borg that the Federation had was from the attack on Wolf 359. The massacre that made federation history books. Thousands were brutally murdered and/or assimilated, many ships were destroyed taking those lives with them. The Borg showed up undetected, using their trans warp technology, and began their brutal attack on the unsuspecting citizens.

As Janeway read the log, she shuddered at the though of being at Wolf 359 on that terrible day. She couldn’t have imagined what people were thinking as the Borg quickly took all those lives, one way or another. As Janeway was finishing up the log her ready room door chimed.

“Come in” Janeway said.

The doors parted and in walked Commander Chakotay. Captain Janeway greeted him with a soft but tired smile.

“You haven’t been sleeping Kathryn.” Chakotay said. It was more of a statement then a question.

Kathryn looked up from her work station at Chakotay, raising a quizzical eyebrow at him. 

“You wouldn’t sleep either if you had to explain to the crew the dangers of what were getting into.” Janeway said, rubbing her temple. 

“No, probably not.” Chakotay replied. He handed Janeway his data pad.

“What’s this?” She asked.

“The latest scan of the region.” He replied. “Long range sensors are picking up trans-warp signatures. So far we’re not picking up any ships in range.” 

“Well at least there’s some good news.” Janeway said. “Maybe we can keep out of the way of them for a while longer.” She finished.

As they finished their conversation, she told Chakotay to keep the course they were following towards the Alpha Quadrant. As he left, she flopped down and let out a heavy sigh. Truth was she was concerned with facing the Borg. She had never been in conflict with them. All the captain could hope was they could evade them as long as possible. There was little data on how their technology worked and how it could be disabled. She did know that they have some kind adaptive technology. Some how they managed to adapt to other types of weapons fire after only one of them being struck.

After another hour or so of research, Janeway decided to call it a night and try to get even a little bit of rest. It wouldn’t help her crew to have an exhausted captain commanding the ship. That was a sure way to get them all killed. 

As Janeway arrived in her quarters she got changed into her favorite pink satin night gown and laid in bed. Before she knew it she was already falling asleep. Completely oblivious to the dangers that were lurking just outside her ship.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Captain Janeway awoke feeling mildly rested. It was more sleep then she was used to, but it wasn’t as much as she would have liked. She got out of bed and went to the replicator and got a cup of strong black coffee. 

As she went to sit on the couch to begin looking at the status reports from the night shift, the ship shook violently tossing her from the couch.  
“Janeway to the bridge, report.” She barked over the comm.

“Captain, we seem to be under attack, but sensors aren’t picking up any ships. We don’t quite know where the weapons fire is coming from.” Responded Commander Tuvok.  


As she got up off the floor she rushed into her room to get into her uniform. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Janeway out.” With that she tapped her badge ending the comm link and changed into her uniform and rushed out the door of her quarters towards the bridge.

_'I sure hope this isn’t what I think it is' _, Janeway thought to herself as she entered the turbo lift.__


	2. Chapter 2

Janeway stepped onto the bridge and headed to her Captains chair. 

“Report.” She barked.

“Sensors still aren’t picking up any kind of ship, and the weapons are nothing we’ve seen before.” Commander Tuvok said.

“Try reconfiguring the sensors to scan for trans warp signatures.” The Captain stated.

“Captain?” Tuvok questioned.

“Do it.” She said.  


“Reconfiguring….Sensors are showing mild trans warp signatures off the port bow.” Tuvok said. “It seems you were correct Captain.”

“Mr. Paris evasive maneuvers!” The Captain ordered.

The ship shook again from the weapons fire. Their pilot Tom Paris was trying to outrun the phaser fire as best as he could, but not without taking another hit.

“Shields down to 75%!” Ensign Kim yelled.

“Return fire!” Replied the captain.

“Direct hit. Their shields are down to 90%.” Said Tuvok.

“Fire phasers again.” Yelled the Captain.

Tuvok fired phasers but it didn’t look like there was any damage done.

“I-I don’t understand.” Harry said. “It was a direct hit but there was no damage. I can’t explain why.”

The color drained from the Captains face. She knew this day would come. She knew exactly who was attacking them just from that last phaser fire. She was hoping that they had more time. 

“Mr. Paris, get us out of here. Warp 9.” Janeway said. The ship lurched into warp trying to get as far away from their attackers as possible. 

The Captain tapped her comm badge, “Janeway to all senior officers, report to the conference room at once.” She disconnected the link and glanced at Chakotay. He quickly followed her to the conference room.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the conference room, Commander Chakotay, Tuvok, Lieutenant’s Paris and Torres, and Ensign Kim were all seated around the table with the Captain at the head, and the Doctor was on the screen on the wall.

“I know some of you are wondering who our mysterious attackers were.” Janeway started. “This species is told to us in our history books, but there is not much information on them.” Janeway got out of her seat and moved over to the panel on the wall. She pressed a few buttons and brought up images of the Borg.

“The Borg.” Janeway started. “They are an extremely hostile species that do nothing but kill and take who and what they want. They are known as the galaxies most dangerous assassins.” She looked around the room. Some of the senior staff had looks of concern on their face.

“How do we know it’s them Captain?” Lieutenant Torres asked.

“The last phaser that hit their ship did no damage. As if it just dissipated on contact.” She started. “The Borg are known for adaptive technology. Meaning after taking a hit from an energy charged weapon, they adapt to it making it useless against them. It is their greatest defense.”

“So how do we stop them?” Asked Lieutenant Paris.

“With the limited information we have on The Borg, I can not accurately answer that Mr. Paris.” Janeway said. “They know were here now, and that they will attack again. We are arriving into their space, and their space is vast. We don’t know how many of them are out there, but I can only hope we can evade them for as long as possible.”

“I can try to recalibrate the sensors to pick up the trans warp signatures at close and long range. It seems like our sensors were useless when they got too close. Almost like using cloaking technology.” Said Ensign Kim.

“Do whatever you need to make sure we are well prepared in case there is another attack. Make preparations a top priority.” Said Janeway. “Dismissed.”

All the senior officers left the conference room except for Commander Chakotay. He stood next to the chair he was sitting in. Janeway glanced over to him. He had a look of concern on his face.

“Something else on your mind Commander?” Janeway asked.

“I have an uneasy feeling about all of this Captain.” Chakotay said. “This run in with The Borg didn’t seem like coincidence. Something like that takes planning. I think they are watching us.”

“It is possible, but hopefully the next run in we will be better prepared to fight back.” Janeway said. She walked over to Chakotay and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We will make it. I have faith in the crew to make sure we are ready for another attack.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll go to engineering and overlook the modifications to the weapons.” Chakotay left the conference room.


	3. Chapter 3

After two long days of modifications and simulations Captain Janeway was pleased with the results of the crews effort to prepare them for another attack from The Borg. Janeway was in her ready room, sitting on the couch, reading some final reports from B’Lanna. Everything looked good with the sensors, and the weapons were also at the ready. Janeway was just finishing reading the report when there was a chime at her door.

“Come in.” Janeway called. The doors opened and Commander Tuvok walked in. “Tuvok, to what do I own this unexpected surprise?”

“Captain.” Tuvok began. “I have been researching the information on The Borg in the data base, and I have come across some interesting information that may have been missed.”

“Oh?” Janeway took the pad from Tuvok and looked at his findings. Her eyebrows shot up instantly. “Are you sure about this?” Janeway asked.

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have brought it up.” Tuvok replied. “It may be wise to let the senior staff know.”

Janeway tapped her comm badge. “All senior staff, please report to my ready room.” Janeway moved from her seat on the couch and sat in her chair behind her desk.

The senior staff filed in and stood around Janeway’s desk. They all looked mildly confused as to why they were so abruptly summoned to their Captains ready room.

“I’ve called you all here because some new information was brought to my attention by Commander Tuvok.” Janeway said. “In one of the log entries from Starfleet’s encounter of The Borg, there was a modulating frequency that they seemed to use that they could not adapt to. I want all shields and weapons to be placed onto this modulating frequency. If there is any chance of our survival then we need to have as much of an advantage as possible.” Janeway looked around the room. There seemed to be a slight glimmer of hope in their eyes.

“Get those weapons and shields ready at once. Dismissed.” She said. All the senior staff left the room.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day Captain Janeway went to the mess hall for lunch. She was greeted by Neelix, the ships Ambassador. 

“What’ll it be today Captain?” Neelix asked. “We have a wonderful leola root stew today for lunch.” 

Janeway internally shuddered at the thought of eating another one of Neelix’s leola root concoctions. 

“Just coffee for now Neelix.” Janeway replied.

Neelix walked over to the counter and picked up a pot and brought it over to the Captain. He poured her a generous cup and left the pot on the table. He knew all too well that the Captain would have more than one cup. He always stored some of his replicator rations to make sure there was some coffee for the Captain, in case of an “emergency”. He internally chuckled at the thought.

“Thank you Neelix.” Janeway flashed him a warm smile.

“No problem Captain.” Neelix replied. “Oh I’ve been wanting to ask you. I have been thi-“

The ship lurched and threw Neelix to the ground. Janeway rushed out of her seat to help Neelix up when her comm badge went off.

“Captain Janeway to the bridge.” Chakotay said.

“On my way.” Janeway replied. She made sure Neelix was ok before leaving the mess hall.

When Janeway made it to the bridge, she saw two Borg ships on the view screen. The ship shook from another attack.

“Report.” Janeway barked.

“Two Borg ships dropped out of trans warp and began firing on us.” Tuvok explained. “We were almost finished with the modifications to the shields when they launched their assault on us.”

“Are the weapons ready?” Janeway asked.

“Yes, Captain.” Tuvok replied. 

“Ready phasers.” Janeway commanded. “Fire!”

“Direct hit. Their shields are at 70%” Ensign Kim said.

“Fire phasers again.” Janeway was hopeful the frequency changes were going to be affective.

“Another direct hit. Their shields are down to 50%!” Kim said excitedly. “The modifications are working Captain.”

“Disable their weapons. Fire at will.” Janeway said.

“Their weapons are offline.” Tuvok said.

“Good now ready phasers to disable thei-.” Janeway stopped mid sentence. There were green beams of light appearing on the bridge. It almost looked like a transporter beam.

The light disapated and ten Borg were appeared on the bridge with weapons raised. Janeway grabbed her phaser and set it to the frequency they had their ships weapons on and fired at the lead Borg. He fell to the ground.

“Set your phasers to the same frequency as the weapons!” Janeway yelled to the bridge crew. 

The next few moments flew by in a blur. There was weapons fire flying across the bridge. Some from the crew and some from Borg. One of the Borg zeroed in on Janeway. She noticed that the Borg was female and looked strangely like a human. 

“Don’t come any closer. This phaser is set to kill.” Janeway said.

“You will be assimilated.” The Borg said, almost drone like.

“I don’t think so.” Janeway said.

The drone closed the distance between them and lunged at Janeway. She stepped to the side, dodging her. The drone turned and landed a punch to Janeway’s face. Janeway stumbled back and tried to regain her bearings. The drone tackled her to the ground. The struggled for a few seconds when Janeway landed a blow to the drones head, with the back of her phaser, knocking her out. 

Janeway got up and looked around the bridge. It seemed like all the other Borg were dead.

“Report.” Janeway said slightly out of breath.

“The Borg ships are retreating Captain.” Tuvok said. “The bridge seemed to be the only place on the ship they beamed onto. All Borg except the one you incapacitated are dead.”

“Take her to sickbay. Place her behind a level ten force field.” Janeway said.

As the drone was being taken to sickbay she got a closer look at her. She was human, or, what was left of one. She had a device on her left eye, and her hand had some kind of metal mesh covering it. There were various pieces of metal implanted into her body. From what Janeway read the Borg used technology to heighten the drones senses. Their hearing, sight, and smell especially.

“I want an update every half hour on our guest.” The Captain said.

“Aye Captain.” The crewman said. They were transported to sick bay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! I know the chapters are short but I will try to expand them as the story continues. Thanks for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcome!

In sickbay the Doctor was healing the unconscious Borg. He was taking a dermal regenerator to her head where there was a deep laceration. While he was finishing up, the Captain walked in.

“How’s our patient Doctor.” The Captain asked. She walked over to the bio bed where the unconscious Borg was laying.

“She’s stable. I repaired the laceration on her head…well…what was left of it.” He stated.

“What do you mean by what was left of it?” Janeway asked.

“When she arrived to sick bay the laceration was already 35% gone.” He started. “I don’t have an explanation as to why though.”

“Nanoprobes.” A voice said, startling the Captain and Doctor.

Janeway looked over to the bio bed. The drone was sitting up, with her hand over her head. Janeway walked over to the bio bed.

“What did you say?” Janeway asked.

“Nanoprobes.” The Borg replied. “They are small pieces of technology that flow though the blood stream and repair damaged systems and keep our cybernetic systems functional.”

“Fascinating.” The Doctor said. “How did the Borg come up with something like this?”

“We do not ‘come up’ with anything. We simply assimilate the information we desire.” She stated. “Now tell me, why am I here.?”

“You were injured in a fist fight with our Captain here.” The doctor stated. “You sustained a deep laceration on your head, which will explain the headache you may be experiencing.”

“Yes, I am having some discom-.” She stopped. Her eyes got wide. “I-I can’t hear the others. Why can’t hear the others!” She got up off the bio bed.

“What do you mean the others.” Janeway asked.

“The Borg do not communicate by crude means.” She started. “We communicate by a neural transceiver. The device allows us to speak to each other without projecting our voices. It allows us to remain incognito while hunting.”

“The blow you took to your head may be the root of the issue.” The Doctor said. “You had some neural damage that needed repairing. Your neural transceiver must have been damaged.”

“Insufficient!” The drone yelled. “My nanoprobes should have repaired the damage. I should not be here. The Borg should have taken me back to the ship.”

“It seems like they’ve left you for dead. Maybe they felt you were damaged beyond repair.” Janeway replied. It suddenly occurred to her that she did not even know the drones name. She did not want to keep referring her to ‘the drone’. 

“What is your name?” Janeway asked.

“My designation is irrelevant.” The drone replied.

“On the contrary. A name allows us to properly address the person we are speaking to.” Janeway said. “I would like to know you name so I know what to call you.”

“My designation is Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01.” She replied.

“Alright Seven of Nine, why did the Borg attack my ship?” Janeway asked.

“You have technology that the Borg wanted, therefore we came to assimilate it.” Seven of Nine replied.

Janeway stared at the drone. She wondered how a species could just attack completely unprovoked. She needed to try to find a way to build defenses against further attacks. Maybe there was a way Janeway could get information from Seven of Nine that could help with the modifications they needed. She was brought out of her musings from a large crash coming from the bio bed.

“You will return me to the Borg!” Seven of Nine yelled. She threw trays of instruments across the room and into the force field. 

“If the Borg wanted to rescue you, don’t you think they would have done so by now?” The Captain asked. “Seeing as how you snuck up on us so easily I don’t see how they couldn’t have done it again to get you back.”

“NO! They will come for me. They will no-“ Seven of Nine stumbled over. She braced herself against the bio bed.

“Doctor, what’s happening to her?” Janeway asked.

The Doctor scanned Seven of Nine, “The implant around her eye is being rejected from her body. It’s going to need to be removed.” 

“You will do no such thing.” The drone said. “I will adapt.”

“Doctor, lower the force field.” Janeway commanded.

“Captain I strongly advise that.” The Doctor protested. 

“Do it.” Janeway gave him her feared command glare.

The Doctor lowered the force field. Janeway cautiously stepped inside towards Seven of Nine. Seven of Nine looked at her. Janeway could feel the hostility towards her. As Janeway approached Seven went to lunge at Janeway. She tackled her to the floor. Janeway struggled to fight her off. Seven of Nine pinned Janeway to the floor and placed her hands around her neck. Janeway couldn’t breathe, she tried to fight Seven of Nine off to no avail. The Doctor grabbed a hyprospray and injected her with a sedative. Seven of Nine fell unconscious. Janeway got up off the ground, coughing, and sat on another bio bed trying to regain her bearings.

“It’s…about…time.” Janeway said to the Doctor. 

“Sorry Captain.” The Doctor said. “I had to get a strong enough sedative to make sure her nanoprobes didn’t adapt.”

“Is her eye implant still being rejected?” Janeway asked.

“Her body is not adapting to the drastic change from the rejection.” The Doctor said. “I will have to remove it.”

“If we’re going to get any more information she needs to be alive.” Janeway said. “Proceed with the removal. Keep me updated.” Janeway walked out of sickbay.


	5. Chapter 5

Janeway retired to her quarters for the night with the days events on her mind. They did survive the attack from The Borg, but at what cost. Now they have one of them on board. Will they come back for her? Do they know she is missing? Do they even care? She needed to find answers for all her questions, and she did her best thinking with a cup of her favorite beverage.

“Coffee, black.” Janeway said to the computer. She picked up the mug and inhaled its intoxicating sent. She walked over to her computer terminal and started a new log.

_Captains Log: Supplemental ___

_After our encounter with The Borg we have learned two things. One; their technology is compiled of many different species and therefor they have ways to get extremely close to a ship without showing up on sensors. Two; they use technology in every aspect of their body. Even down to the bloodstream. We happened to keep one of the Borg drones who seemed to be left for dead. She has been difficult to talk with but she has relayed some information about the technology in their bodies. They use some kind of nanoprobes in the bloodstream to repair any damage that comes to them or the technology implanted into their body. The drone told us her designation was Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01. What ever that means. There is still we do not know about her and we may not find out soon, but it seems like her comrades in arms left her for dead after our fight with them. She is recovering in our sickbay after taking a blow to the head. Some of her cybernetic systems are being rejected by her body as well. She looks to be human. I wonder how long she has been a part of the Borg. Was she taken against her will, or did she willingly go? Hopefully we will get the answers we need when she wakes up. ___

“Computer, end log and encrypt authorization Janeway alpha-pi-one-one.” Janeway closed her terminal and left to the bedroom to get some much needed sleep.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Doctor to Captain Janeway.” Janeway’s comm badge went off, startling her. She felt around for her badge on the night stand. 

____“Go ahead Doctor.” Janeway responded, still a little groggy._ _ _ _

____“Can you please report to sickbay. Our patient is not in a very cooperative mood, and she only wants to speak to you.” The Doctor replied._ _ _ _

____“I’m on my way, Janeway out.” Janeway closed the comm, got up and changed into her uniform. She grabbed her pips off the night stand and placed them on her collar. After feeling satisfied with her appearance, she briskly walked out of her quarters and towards sickbay._ _ _ _

____As Janeway entered sickbay she was greeted by a lot of yelling and objects being thrown. She threw her best command mask on and approached the bay where their guest was being held._ _ _ _

____“If you would please calm down so I can continue treating you!” The Doctor yelled._ _ _ _

____“No, you will bring your Captain now!” Seven of Nine yelled._ _ _ _

____“If we could all just calm down for a second.” Janeway intervened. “May I ask why you are destroying my sickbay?”_ _ _ _

____“What have you people done to me?” Seven of Nine asked. “Where is my optical implant!?”_ _ _ _

____“Your optical implant was being rejected by your body. If it wasn’t removed, you could have suffered severe neurological trauma.” The Doctor said._ _ _ _

____“Insufficient.” Seven of Nine stated. “My body should have repaired the damage.”_ _ _ _

____“In case you haven’t noticed, your body isn’t responding the way you say it is supposed to be.” Janeway said. “A call had to be made, and I made it. If you’re going to be mad at someone then direct it to me. The Doctor was only following my orders.”_ _ _ _

____Janeway approached the force field. She looked at the spot where the optical implant used to be. Her entire left eye was missing. She felt her heart break a little. How could someone do this to another living being? Even her hair was missing. Janeway scanned down her body seeing where all her implants were visible. Her left hand was covered in some kind of metal exoskeleton as well._ _ _ _

____“How could anyone do this to you?” Janeway asked quietly._ _ _ _

____“This drone was assimilated 18 years ago.” Seven of Nine replied._ _ _ _

____“That would make you a child. I thought the Borg only assimilated adults?” Janeway asked._ _ _ _

____“In most cases.” Seven of Nine started. “On rare occasions children are assimilated.”_ _ _ _

____“That must have been terrifying.” The Doctor said._ _ _ _

____“I do not remember anything prior to assimilation.” Seven of Nine replied. “My systems require regeneration to function. Without a regeneration unit each system will shut down one by one.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m afraid we don’t have a regeneration unit on board.” Janeway started. “Maybe we can build one. I can have my chief engineer attempt to build one if you can provide a schematic of one.” She finished._ _ _ _

____“I will comply.” Seven of Nine said._ _ _ _

____Janeway had Lieutenant Torres begin constructing a regeneration unit for Seven of Nine. The chief engineer was reluctant at first, but eventually agreed to build it._ _ _ _

____“Why are we building this for her Captain?” B’ Lanna asked._ _ _ _

____“She needs the unit to keep her cybernetic systems functional. If we are to get any more information about the Borg and their technology, then we need to gain her trust.” Janeway replied._ _ _ _

____“I suppose.” B’ Lanna said. She snapped a final relay into place and the unit powered up. “Got it!”_ _ _ _

____“Good work. Let’s get it to sickbay so Seven of Nine can use it.” Janeway said, helping B’ Lanna up off the ground._ _ _ _

____The Captain along with her chief engineer and a couple other crewmen carried the regeneration unit to sickbay. Once they were there, they placed the unit by the bio bed. Seven of Nine inspected it closely._ _ _ _

____“This unit will be sufficient.” She stated. “I require only a few hours of regeneration a day to keep my systems functional.”_ _ _ _

____“Don’t let us disturb you then.” Janeway said. She watched as she stood near the unit. It seemed to attach itself to her spine. Seven of Nines eyes closed and the cycle began._ _ _ _

_______“Let me know when she wakes up. Maybe she will be more willing to talk after she’s ‘rested’.” Janeway said._  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The Doctor was sitting in his office going over the recent scans of his newest patient. He was perplexed by the sophistication of the technology within Seven of Nine’s body. Never has anyone within the Federation seen something like this, so there was no real data to go over. As he was searching the database he heard a loud crash coming from Seven of Nine’s bio bed. He ran out of his office and saw her lying on the floor. He grabbed his medical tricorder and scanned her. 

____“Doctor to the Captain.” He called._ _ _ _

____“Janeway here, Doctor.” She replied._ _ _ _

____“Captain, more of Seven of Nine’s implants are being rejected by her body. They are linked with some of her more important systems. If she is to survive then I will need to extract more of them from her body.” He said._ _ _ _

____“Do whatever is necessary to keep her alive.” Janeway said. “Keep me posted on her condition.”_ _ _ _

____“Aye Captain.” The Doctor said._ _ _ _

_______He got Seven of Nine on the bio bed and began with the removal of the affected implants. It took over 4 hours to successfully remove all of the rejected implants. After the procedure he hooked the regeneration unit back to her body and resumed the cycle. He only hoped that her human systems would adapt to the sudden changes to her lack of cybernetic systems and pick up where they left off. The Doctor placed a cortical monitor right behind the ear to keep a better eye on her._  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In her ready room, Janeway was going over the report from the Doctor. 73% of her Borg implants were rejected from her body in a matter of hours. He advised to keep her in sick bay so he can continue monitoring her incase any other implants are rejected. Janeway was trying to figure out how so many of Seven of Nine’s implants were being rejected. She wondered if it had to do with her connection being severed. The neural transceiver must be linked to some kind of central computer matrix. Whatever was controlling the transceiver must also keep their bodies from rejecting the implants. As she was going over the data the door chimed. 

____“Come in.” Janeway called. The doors parted and Commander Tuvok walked in. “Tuvok, to what do I owe this surprise?”_ _ _ _

____“I have come to see how you were doing Captain.” Tuvok said. “Given the events that have transpired over the last two days, I wanted to be sure you were not injured.”_ _ _ _

____“Is that compassion I sense?” Janeway asked with a slightly amused tone._ _ _ _

____“Vulcans do not feel compassion.” He replied. “But seeing as you were attacked on two separate occasions where one of those occasions you were strangled, then yes, I am concerned for your wellbeing.”_ _ _ _

____“Well thank you Tuvok.” Janeway said. “I’m doing just fine though.”_ _ _ _

____“How is our guest?” Tuvok asked._ _ _ _

____“Still unconscious from what I understand. Hopefully she will wake up soon.” Janeway replied. As she was about to continue her comm badge chirped._ _ _ _

____“Sickbay to Captain Janeway.” The Doctor said._ _ _ _

____“Yes Doctor?” Janeway replied._ _ _ _

____“Seven of Nine is awake. I figured you would want to come down here.” He said._ _ _ _

____“I’ll be there shortly. Janeway out.” She replied. With a nod to Tuvok she walked out of the ready room and headed to sick bay._ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for the late update. My job and school work have been keeping me pretty busy. Ill try to post another chapter this week. Hope you enjoy!

Janeway was on her way to Sickbay to see how Seven of Nine was doing. She stepped into the turbo lift and instructed it to take her to sickbay. She was concerned about the health of their guest. In a matter of 24 hours she managed to lose 73% of her implants. With their limited knowledge on Borg technology, Janeway didn’t know how they were going to be able to keep Seven of Nine alive. If she was more cooperative then she may have a chance, but that wasn’t looking like a possibility any time soon. Janeway exited the turbo lift and made her way into sickbay.

“How’s our patient Doctor?” Janeway asked.

“She’s stable for now. I am running scans on her every half hour to make sure no other implants are being rejected.” He replied.

“Is there anything you know as to why her implants are suddenly being rejected?” Janeway asked. “It seems unlikely that it would just happen out of the blue.”

“My theory is that when her connection to the collective was severed her human physiology started taking over its normal functions again. Since the implants are not meant to be there, they did what any immune system would do and try to get rid of what doesn’t belong.” The doctor replied.

“How long until we can wake her?” Janeway asked.

“I can wake her now if you want me to. She’s out of any immediate danger, and none of her other implants are showing any sign of rejection.” The Doctor said. He took a hypo spray and placed it to Seven of Nine’s neck and pressed a button.

A few seconds passed and Seven of Nines eyes fluttered open. She immediately tried to sit up, but the Doctor placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t try to sit up. Your body has gone through a lot. It’s best not to strain yourself.” The Doctor said.

“Wha-what happened?” Seven of Nine asked. She looked down at her body and examined herself. “What have you done to me?!?” She asked enraged.

“Your body was rejecting your implants. Since being severed from the Borg your human physiology has re-asserted itself with a vengeance.” The Doctor said. “I had to remove the implants. If I didn’t you were going to die.”

“You should have let us die.” Seven of Nine said.

“I wasn’t going to let that happen.” The Captain interjected. “You were dying, and I made the decision to keep you alive. Don’t blame the Doctor for following my orders.”

“You’ve made us weak.” Seven of Nine said.

“You have a second chance to live.” Janeway said. “You can regain the life that was taken from you 18 years ago.”

“This drone can not survive outside of the collective.” Seven of Nine said.

“Yes you can.” Janeway started. “Why not start over here on Voyager? Become a member of my crew, a chance to be with your own kind.”

“No! The Borg will come for me.” Seven of Nine replied.

“You’ve been here for 4 days. If they wanted you back, don’t you think they would have come back by now?” Janeway asked. “There haven’t been any Borg vessels on scans since the attack that landed you here.”

“Your scanners are inefficient. You won’t be able to find them easily.” Seven of Nine replied.

“Care to show us then?” Janeway said.

Seven of Nine got up from the biobed and walked over to the console. She tapped a few buttons and the screen lit up with Borg vessels.

“As you can see there are many Borg vessels in the near area. I do not understand why they haven’t placed a vessel on your ship for tracking though.” Seven of Nine said.

“What do you mean place a vessel on the ship for tracking?” Janeway asked.

“The Borg track their targets by placing a scouting ship onto the targets ship to track their movements. How far they travel. What systems they go to. Who they interact with.” Seven of Nine said. “When the time comes to take out the targets the Borg have spent a couple weeks observing them.”

“Why do they do this?” Janeway asked. “Why take out innocent species for what seems like no real reason?”

“Perfection.” Seven of Nine replied. “Destroying inferior species helps us reach our goal of creating the perfect universe.”

Janeway couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They kill only for an impossible goal. She still couldn’t bring herself to believe it, but after their encounter she knew that there must be some truth to it.

“Seven. May I call you Seven?” Janeway asked.

“Imprecise, but acceptable.” Seven replied.

“The Borg left you for dead. They don’t see you as an asset to their collective anymore. They would have come back for you by now.” Janeway said.

“I-I don’t understand.” Seven said. “I was that vessels best drone. I was the tertiary adjunct. They should have come back for me.”

Janeway’s heart broke for Seven. She only knew one life, and that life was taken from her. Janeway only hoped that Seven would reconsider her offer to join the crew.

“Captain.” Seven said. “I have considered your offer.”

“What have you decided?” The Captain asked.

“I will join your crew.” Seven said. “You were correct when you said that they weren’t coming back. They have deemed me damaged beyond repair. There is nothing left for me there.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I finally got to finish this chapter. Now that school is over with for now I have a lot more time to dedicate to continuing this story. I also had a little writers block so hopefully this chapter didn't suffer from it lol. Thank you everyone for all the kudos, they mean a lot. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Janeway examined Seven’s expressions to see if she was being sincere. The sudden change of heart left Janeway with an uneasy feeling. She cast her doubts aside. Maybe Seven was being honest. The tone of her voice when she said that the Borg deemed her irrelevant sounded honest and full of emotion. Maybe she shouldn’t jump to conclusions she thought. If Seven truly wants to join her crew then she should give her a chance. 

“Are you positive that’s what you want?” Janeway asked. “You would have to submit to the command structure that this ship has. Follow all the rules and protocols. Do you understand what all that means?”

“Yes.” Seven replied. “I-I only wish to have a purpose.”

“Alright then.” Janeway said. “I’ll give you a chance, but just remember, if there is any indication of you trying to contact the collective I’ll drop you off at the first uninhabited planet. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Seven replied.

“For now we will have your regeneration unit moved to cargo bay two. The schematics that you gave us seem to show a larger unit used for more efficient regenerations. I’ll have Lieutenant Torres work with you on building one in the cargo bay.” Janeway said. Seven looked at Janeway with a curious expression. 

“Something wrong?” Janeway asked.

“Why are you showing such kindness to me?” Seven asked. “I did almost kill you.”

Well where I come from, we believe in second chances.” Janeway replied. “I think there’s good in you. You just need the right environment to show it. Don’t let me down.”  
Janeway turned around and exited out of sickbay. Seven just stared as she left. There was so much information to process. She had never been shown such kindness. She was unsure of the necessary protocols that followed. She made a mental note to research the necessary information, though she didn’t know whether there would be information explaining the odd feeling in her chest. She first felt it when Captain Janeway mentioned building the larger alcove in the cargo bay. Emotions were deemed irrelevant by the collective. Maybe it was an emotion. There was no way to be certain, maybe she would feel it again and then she could come up with a conclusion.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Seven and B’Lanna were finishing up the last few adjustments on the new alcove. It took the two of them about a week to build it. Seven felt that it should have taken less time, but the two women had their differences on how things were done causing more arguing than working on some occasions.

“Hand me that hypospanner Seven.” Torres said. “We’re just about done with the final adjustments.”

“This alcove is…adequate.” Seven said.

“High praise coming from you.” B’Lanna replied.

“It would have been finished sooner if you had listened to my suggestions.” Seven said.

“There’s a time and place Seven. Now is not one of them.” B’Lanna replied. “On this ship you follow Starfleet protocol.”

“Your protocol is inefficient.” Seven said. “It is astounding how this crew gets any work done.”

B’Lanna was starting to get irritated. Her Klingon nature was riling up her emotions. She already didn’t like Seven and her arrogant nature made it worse. If this conversation continued she knew there was going to be a medical emergency. 

“Seven, lets not do this now.” B’Lanna said.

“Do what?’ Seven asked.

“This!” B’Lanna exclaimed. She gestured to the two of them. “This arguing. Nothing is getting done with us constantly arguing.”

“If you had taken my suggestions seriously there would be nothing to argue about.” Seven replied.

“That’s it! You ungrateful P’taq!” B’Lanna yelled. “I’ll rip your head off your shoulders!”

B’Lanna lunged at Seven. Seven just barely moved out of the way. She did not understand what had caused the sudden outburst. B’Lanna regained her bearings and moved to make another move towards Seven. B’Lanna swung her fist towards Seven. Seven grabbed B’Lanna’s arm and placed it behind her back pulling her into a lock, restraining her movements. With her superior Borg strength, Seven stopped B’Lanna’s attacks quickly.

“Let me go now!” B’Lanna shouted.

“Not until you stop your attack.” Seven replied.

B’Lanna tried to shake Seven off. Her strength overpowered her own. There was nothing more that B’Lanna hated then feeling powerless. There was also another part that almost enjoyed it. There was no one on Voyager aside from maybe Tuvok who had similar strength to her own. 

“Let me go Seven.” B’Lanna said.

“Will you stop your attack?” Seven asked.

B’Lanna tried to shrug off Seven again but to no avail. Seven tightened her grip on B’Lanna’s arm and pulled her closer to her so she couldn’t move. B’Lanna felt her face flush. Of all the times for her to feel aroused now was certainly not the time, and it was Seven of all people. Someone she hated almost as much as the Cardassians.

“I will stop, just let me go Seven.” B’Lanna said. She needed to put some distance between them.

Seven let go of her arm and B’Lanna moved to the other side of the room. B’Lanna’s heart rate started to regulate a bit.

“I-I think that will be enough for today Seven.” B’Lanna said. “Your alcove seems to be operational.”

“Yes, it is functioning within acceptable parameters.” Seven replied.

“I’ll be going then.” B’Lanna said. She rushed out the door.

Seven was perplexed. When she had B’Lanna in the hold she noticed her heart rate increase and her body temperature rise. She did not understand this physiological response that the Lieutenant was experiencing. She would have to do some research on the matter, but that was a task for another day. The alcove needed to be tested, and Seven was in need of regeneration. Seven set the alcove for a 4 hour cycle and stepped on the dais. Her body snapped into place and he eyes closed and her cycle started.


	8. Chapter 8

B’Lanna rounded the corner of the corridor headed to her quarters. She was grateful that she didn’t run into any crewmembers on the way there. Her face was less than composed at the moment and she didn’t feel like answering any questions. She was still trying to process what had just happened to her in the cargo bay. All she remembers is the anger she felt as she swung at Seven and then it vanishing when Seven pinned her arm against her and tightened her grip to prevent her from struggling.

‘I don’t even like Seven.’ B’Lanna thought. ‘Why would I react that way? I don’t even like women for that matter.’

B’Lanna entered her quarters and stripped herself of her uniform jacket and her boots. She flopped down on the couch, exhausted from the day when she heard the chime of her door  
.  
“Come in.” B’Lanna called, and in walked Captain Janeway. B’Lanna rose to her feet.

“At ease Lieutenant.” Janeway said and gestured for her to sit back down. “I wanted to see how things were coming with Seven’s new alcove.”

“We finished the alcove Captain.” B’Lanna said. “Seven should be testing it now. I know she mentioned that she was in need of regeneration.”

“Good. I trust that the two of you got along?” The Captain asked.

“As well as to be expected.” B’Lanna replied.

“Really? Cause what I have here is Seven’s daily report on the progress of the alcove.” Janeway said. “It has a few details you seemed to have left out. Care to explain why you started throwing punches Lieutenant?” Janeway asked, giving her well known force ten glare.

“We had a disagreement Captain.” B”Lanna said.

“A disagreement that resulted in physical violence? You’re going to have to come up with a better excuse than that B’Lanna.” Janeway said.

B’Lanna’s blood was beginning to boil again. “You want a better excuse? Fine! That damn drone is so unbelievably arrogant!” B’Lanna shouted. “If she had just followed Starfleet protocol, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.” She finished.

Janeway sighed and took a seat across from B’Lanna. “B’Lanna if I remember correctly, there was a similar conversation had a few years ago with a certain Chief Engineer I know.” Janeway said.

“Yeah, but Captain this is different.” B’Lanna replied.

“How?” Janeway asked. “Between your stubbornness and temper I was one incident away from throwing you in the brig for the rest of the trip. I gave you some time to sort out your emotions and gave you ways to help with your anger and you have been a damn good engineer. Give Seven some time to adjust on Voyager and things will work out.” Janeway patted B’Lanna’s knee and started towards the door. 

B’Lanna let out a huge sigh once the Captain was gone. How was she supposed to put her feelings about Seven aside? She apparently didn’t even know what some of them are. The only way for her to find out is to recreate a similar situation. Maybe a challenge will help her sort herself out.

“Yes, it’s decided then.” B’Lanna said to herself. She got up and went to her bedroom and got ready for bed. She turned off the lights and drifted to sleep.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Regeneration cycle complete.” The computer said.

Seven disconnected from her alcove and took a step forward. Her eyes snapped open and she took a moment to look around. She looked over to the console and noticed a pad sitting on the station. She went and pickup the pad up. There was a message left for her, but there was indication as to who the sender was.

‘Seven of Nine, I challenge you to a battle of strength. Report to holodeck 2 at 1900 hours.’

Seven read the pad a second time. She was uncertain as to who would send such a request. Did she offend someone who’s species results to fighting to settle their differences? 

Seven was unsure. She decided that she would accept the challenge and go to holodeck 2 at the allotted time. For now, there was work to be done. She was scheduled to work with Lieutenant Torres in engineering today and she didn’t like to be late.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In Engineering, B’Lanna was working on a diagnostic of the warp core. She knew that the core wasn’t working as efficiently as it could be, but she couldn’t figure out what was preventing the upgrade.

“Damn it!” B’Lanna shouted. “Why can’t anything in this damn engine room work!!”

“I don’t believe hitting the console is the best way to fix it.” B’Lanna turned around to see Seven of Nine standing behind her. 

“Gee, thanks for the advice Seven.” B’Lanna replied sarcastically. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“My duty shift begins at 0800 hours.” Seven stated. “I was told to report to Engineering today. The Captain said the warp core needed to be enhanced, but there was an issue with the upgrade. She thought my expertise could be utilized here.”

B’Lanna internally groaned. The last thing she needed was to have to deal with their resident Borg all day. She figured that this was punishment from the Captain for throwing a punch at Seven yesterday.

She let out a sigh. “Alright Seven come over here and I’ll show you what’s going on with the warp core upgrade.”

“See when I enter in the commands for the upgrade the isolitic converter numbers go off the charts, leaving me no choice but to cancel the upgrade.” B’Lanna started. “When I go to run a diagnostic to see why those numbers skyrocket, it shuts me out.”

Seven looked at the console, taking in the information it was giving. She looked up and walked over to a panel on the wall and removed it.

“Seven what are you doing?” B’Lanna asked.

Seven punched some commands and a gel pack came out. She removed the gel pack and replaced it with a new one, and put the panel back up.

“Try it now.” Seven said.

 

“I fail to see how replacing a healthy gel pack will…..wait…the upgrade is downloading. How did do that?” B’Lanna asked.

“There was a slight irregularity in the data transfer stream from the console to the computer. I simply located the exact spot the irregularity occurred and corrected it.” Seven replied.

“It would have taken us hours to figure that out.” B’Lanna said. “The gel pack looks healthy though.”

“I’m sure the Doctor will want to run some tests on the gel pack to ensure that there is no other threat to the rest of the gel packs on the ship.” Seven said. “I’ll take it to him now.”  
Seven turned on her heals and walked out of Engineering. She was gone before B’Lanna even had the chance to say anything. She felt herself getting annoyed.

“That damn Borg. Thinks she runs the place.” B’Lanna mumbled to herself. “Just you wait. I’ll show you who’s in charge here.


	9. Chapter 9

As Seven of Nine walked into sickbay with the affected gel pack, was immediately greeted by Voyager’s EMH. His usual chipper personality was usually tolerated by Seven, but she really didn’t feel like having an unusually long drawn out conversation with him.

“Ah Seven! What brings you to my sickbay today?” The Doctor asked.

“Lieutenant Torres and I were having issues upgrading the warp core and found the problem to be this gel pack.” Seven started. “The gel pack seems to be functioning within acceptable parameters, but whenever we began the upgrade the process stopped in the section with this gel pack.”

“Hm, let me take a look at it. Maybe a neural scan will enlighten us.” The Doctor replied.

The Doctor took the gel pack from Seven and placed it on a biobed. He activated the scan and punched in a few commands. After a few moments the Doctor frowned.

“Hm.” He said. 

“Is there a problem Doctor?” Seven asked.

“Well…I’m not sure.” He said. “The gel pack does seem to be healthy.”

“But?” Seven said trying to get the information out faster.

“But the gel packs circuitry looks to have been rewired. I can’t figure out how since there is no sign of tampering.” He finished.

The Doctor took a sample from the gel pack and placed it under a microscope. He looked into the microscope and immediately stepped back. He looked over to Seven with wide eyes.

“You should look at this.” The Doctor said.

Seven went over to the microscope and looked into it. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There was no explanation for what she was seeing. 

“How is this possible?” She asked.

“I’m not sure, but we need to inform the Captain.” The Doctor replied. “I’ll have her call a senior staff meeting for the morning. I have some more test I would like to run.”  
Seven nodded to the Doctor. She checked the time; it was 1800 hours. She remembered that she did have an appointment in the holodeck for 1900 hours with the mysterious person. She had one hour, which she deemed more than enough time to prepare for whatever was waiting for her. He physical appearance seemed acceptable, so she made her way to the holodeck. She didn’t like to be late.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Seven of Nine approached the holodeck a bit early. She checked the log and noticed that there was a program running. As she approached the doors, they opened for her.

‘Strange.’ She thought. ‘The doors are usually locked when there is a program running.’

Seven looked at the log again. The program had two names on it. Her name was there, which would explain why the doors opened, and one other. She couldn’t tell who activated the program since the name was covered up with an encryption. She could have overridden it with a Borg algorithm, but decided against it. This person went though all this trouble she may as well humor them. Seven scoffed at herself. 

‘Borg do not use humor.’ She thought to herself. 

Seven entered the holodeck. When she stepped into the program, she found herself in a cave of some kind. There were torches on the walls and symbols painted all around her in what looked like blood. She took in her surroundings, familiarizing herself with the area. Her Borg physiology kept her alert and aware of anything that could pose a threat.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come.” A voice said.

Seven turned around trying to find the source of the voice.

“Show yourself. Why am I here?” Seven replied. Sevens left eye caught the sight of a shadow in the corner of the cave that was not lit. She determined that the mysterious voice was coming from there. 

“Making demands are we.” The voice said. “That’s just like you. Always ordering everyone around like you run the place. Well guess what princess, in here, I’m in charge.”

Seven watched the shadow step out of the dark, into the light of one of the torches. She was surprised to see Lieutenant Torres. 

“Lieutenant Torres, why have you brought me here?” Seven asked.

“It’s quite simple Seven. I’m tired of you always bossing my engineers around like you run the place and making us all look and feel stupid. I’m the Chief Engineer. You must follow protocol and if you can’t or won’t then consequences will follow.” B’Lanna replied.

“So, this is my consequence?” Seven asked.

“Basically.” B’Lanna replied. “Plus, a little pay back for the other day.”

“You are upset that I overpowered you? Why?” Seven was slightly confused. She didn’t understand Lieutenant Torres’ reactions. She searched her memory files for information on the Lieutenant. 

‘Torres, B’Lanna. Species: Klingon. a proud, tradition-bound people who valued honor and combat.’ Seven stopped and looked up at B’Lanna. She realized why she was here. 

“Lieutenant Torres, did you bring me here to mend your honor?” Seven asked.

“HA! You think this is about my honor? You really are clueless.” She replied. “I already told you. This is about how you act towards other people. Talking doesn’t seem to get the point across, so I’m taking matters into my own hands.” B’Lanna walked over to a weapon that was curved and had sharp edges and spokes on it and picked it up. She grabbed a second one and threw it to Seven.

Seven caught the weapon and examined it. She determined that it was a traditional Klingon weapon called a Bat’leth. It was surprisingly light and seemed to be quite durable.

“We do not have to fight Lieutenant.” Seven said. “You will not win. My Borg strength greatly surpasses yours.”

“There you go again with that condescending tone of yours. It’s really starting to piss me off.” B’Lanna replied. “Prepare yourself Seven. In here, anything goes.” 

B’Lanna began to charge at Seven. Seven took a defensive stance and held up her weapon preparing to defend herself. If B’Lanna’s intent was to hurt her, she would be ready to defend herself.


End file.
